Did i mention i was busy?

So it appears as though i have not posted in a few months, sorry!! Life in a word is just CRAZY! The past 3 months have flown and now its almost Christmas!

So just to sum up what has been going on, Jackson turned two, life with a two year old red head is interesting and a bit challenging :) We had Thanksgiving at our house and celebrated his birthday at the same time. He recieved several Mickey Mouse items which helped feed his obession with Mickey!

Jackson has also been keeping up with past tradition and spending plenty of time in the doctors office. His most recent appointment was yesterday, we took him to Sanford Childrens Clinic to see if we can figure out what is going on with him and why he is always sick. Dont know much yet, but they increased is asthma meds and put him back on a reflux med. They also did blood work and a flu shot which he just LOVED...yea, thats was a joke. He made it very clear he was done with the doctors and nurses and wanted to go home!!

Since we were in Sioux Falls yesterday i felt that was the perfect opportunity for me to finally get my Christmas shopping done. I am happy to say that i only need a few more gifts and then i am done!!! Now if could just find someone to wrap them all for me i would be in great shape!!

The other children are doing well, they have fallen into the routine of school and seem to both really enjoy it. Logan is also in preschool and enjoys it, especially the crafts, he really loves glue and paint:)

I am also still taking classes, and for the most part enjoy them as well. I finished my two sets of classes and am very pleased to say i recieved A's in both classes!! Now i am taking a compostion class and an accounting class. So far its going ok, but i have to write an 11 page research paper for the composition class and this has me a bit scared. I have not ever written that much about anything. It is not due until the first part of March so i have time to put it off for awhile:)

Anyway, that sums up our life. I probably should mention that Brian is doing well also, not meaning to leave him out:) I will try to keep up a little bit better, but i make no promises.

Still Here!

Since its been almost a month since i posted anything i decided i better give an update. The month of September with very busy and October is looking like it will be the same way!!

I have started back to school, i am going into my third week of classes and so far its going well. I am starting to figure out how online classes work, and my brain is remembering how to do homework again:)

The kids are all doing well in school. I have an IEP meeting for Dylan tomorrow to go over the services he is getting in school. So far it sounds like his year is going great, so that is a huge relief for me, i should know better tomorrow.

Jackson has had a series of doctor appointments. The last time i posted i think i mentioned he has asthma. Well i am also suspecting allergies. He has had a constant running nose since....man i don't even remember...birth maybe:) Its been a long time. He coughs all the time, and certain things seem to make it worse. So Friday i took him to Sioux Falls and then did some allergy testing on him. I should know the results of that later this week. I am just really wanting answers so that i can finally get him healthy!!!

Also in September Logan turned 4!! He is such a mix of naughiness and sweetness LOL. He has this HUGE brown eyes that can get the naughty look to them, but when he gets in trouble he can melt you heart!! He has also started preschool. He has his good days and at school, but thats Logan for you.

Saturday i took the kids to pumpkin land by myself!! Very proud of myself as i rarely take four kids anywhere by myself!! We had a good time, the kids got some pumpkins and i managed to keep track of all four kids:)

So thats what is new in our lives. October should also be a busy month but i will try to stay in touch!

CHAOS...Thats my life!!

This has been another very busy week, and its only Wed.!! I keep thinking that sometime soon things will slow down a bit...well it not going to happen in Sept, maybe October???

Monday Jackson had his appointment with the pulminologist. It went well and Jackson actually smiled at the doctor a few times!! Normally he hangs onto me for dear life and starts to cry the minute doctors come near him. Needless to say he has had a lot done to him in his little life and he remembers a lot!!

This doctor has diagnosed Jackson with reactive airway disease or asthma. So Jackson is being put on inhaled steriods and singular. The inhaler is actually going fine, so far. Its a regular inhaler but the inhaler gets stuck in a tube and on the end of the tube is a face mask that looks like a duck. Well Jackson likes to quack when i put it over his mouth....so at least he tolerates that!! The singular is not going so well. Its granules, kind of like a suger packet that you can sprinkle on soft foods and then let him eat it. Well last night i put it in some applesause...well i guess he hates applesause cause he gagged everytime i put some in his mouth. Not sure how i am going to get him to take this, as he is not really big into jello, pudding, mashed potatoes...anything soft. I am gone this evening so i will see if Brian can come up with some creative way of getting him to take it....i am not holding my breath!

Yesterday Morgan started piano lessons. So far its going well and she really enjoyed it. She even got up early this morning so she could go play the song she learned. Its two notes over and over and over....but she is very proud of her song and makes her brothers listen!!

I am also working on getting stuff ready for a garage sale that starts tomorrow. Its just a lot of work!! I am hoping a lot of stuff sales because i do not want to haul it all back downstairs!! The garage sale will be Thursday-Saturday, so that a lone will keep me plenty busy.

If thats not enough the kids want to go camping a few more times yet this year. So we are hauling our camper to Sandy Hollow. A whole 8 miles from home:) But its a campground and thats all the kids care about. So once i am done with the garage sale stuff, hopefully i can relax a little bit.

We go camping again next weekend to a campground in RockValley. Its new and actually really nice. They have a little swimming pond with a beach...however since the temps have only been in the 60's lately i doubt there will be any swimming going on. I also might have Logans birthday party out there...depends on the weather! So yes, i have another birthday coming up so that will be keeping me busy as well!!

Then school starts for me in two weeks.

Pray for my sanity:)

Steph

Not much new....

Not much new in our lives lately...not that that is a bad thing!! We spent our Labor Day weekend mostly at home. I needed to get a ton of cleaning done, and get stuff ready for a garage sale. I did not get near finished, i can't believe how much stuff is packed into our house!!! Its time to do a DEEP cleaning in every room, just not sure when i will find time to do this!!

Dylan had an appointment last week at the Child Health Speciality Clinics. I always enjoy these appointments as it gives me a good idea of how Dylan is doing on all levels. He has gone down on his BMI which is AWESOME NEWS!!! We just keep pushing healthy foods and lots of exercise. He is doing great with gross motor and cognitive, and as normal still way behind on fine motor, that i am sure will never change. They will also start monitoring him for ADHD this year just because he is at such high risk for learning disorders and shows a few signs.

Jackson goes to see a few specialists next week, i can't wait!!!! I am ready to figure out why he is always getting Pneumonia, and what we can do to keep him healthier this winter...last year was awful!! The poor kid is terrified of doctors, i can't say as i blame him, he has had a ton of stuff done to him in his short life.

Morgan went to the dentist today, she has only one small cavity...that is great news!! She does however have to see an orthodontist because she has an over bite and a crowed ed little mouth. Not suprising that she will be needing braces sometime in the next couple of years.

Logan and Jackson started at their brand new daycare today. They were so excited and i can't say that i blame them, it looks like a very cool place. Everything is so new and nice...not sure how long that will last with over 100 little kids attending this daycare!

Well that's about all for now. I should probably get some work done!

Jackson being cute at the beach

Back to school...

Morgan and Dylan started school again this week. Very hard to believe since i swear they just got out!!

Morgan is starting 2nd grade, and so far seems to like it and is in a class with all her friends. Dylan is starting kindergarten, and is also doing fine so far. I worry a little about that boy, he likes to talk more then he likes to listen!

As usual for the first week of school it has been hot, but thankfully they have not gotten out early because of the heat yet.

I took some pictures of them in their classrooms. Dylan was fine with it, but i think i am starting to be a little to uncool for Morgan...she really did not want me taking her picture:)

Oh, and Morgan FINALLY learned to tie her shoes the day before school started!! WOOHOOO!!! i was starting to think she was going to go to college with velcro shoes:)

Birthday Girl!!

For the past couple of years Morgan has wanted to have a birthday party with some of her friends. In the past i have always said no, because it just seemed like a lot of work and she always gets tons of gifts from relatives that she really doesn't need anymore.

Well this year i gave in. I figured she is only a little girl once, and to be honest she is already growing up so fast!!

So Morgan decided that if she was turning eight, she should invite 8 friends...i talked her into six. After some thought i decided it would be fun to have supper at the Pizza Ranch and from there go to a hair salon and get a manicure done on all the girls.

Well as it turned out the girls could pick from 2 out of 3 things, there toes done, their finger nails done. or their hair done all pretty! Well of course the girls all wanted their hair done, and then some chose to do their toes and some their finger nails.

All in all i would say the girls had a blast!! They loved getting their hair all curled, they loved the viabrating massage chair that they got to set in while getting their toe nails done. They just loved being pampered!!

After it was all done last night Morgan wanted to know if she could do it again nextyear...HA! Probably not. My ears are still ringing from 7 squealing girls!!

Vacation

We decided to take one more small vacation before the kids head back to school next week. We went to a place called Scharnberg park. Its was a nice little camping place where you can camp, swim, fish, or just relax...i was all for the relaxing!!!

We went up on Wed. night after work and came home on Sunday. We really had a good time. We went to the beach every day, and i am SO happy to say that Logan actually got in the water and by the last day went in all the way up to his SHOULDERS!! That is a huge step for him!

Other then that the kids did a little fishing...and i mean little. The fish were very tiny and Brian would no more then get one fish off the hook then another one would catch one. Needless to say after an hour Brian had had enough fishing.

Sunday we celebrated Morgans 8th birthday....My baby!!!! She opened her gifts and then it was time to pack up and head back home. It was nice to get away, but i must say there is nothing like my own king sized bed compared to that awful, uncomfortable, back killer of a bed we have in our camper:)

Birthday time again!!!!

Morgan and Dylan on Saturday

Dylan and Morgan almost 6 years ago!!

Something More....

This is an article i stumbled upon a few years ago, and it really hit home for me, and i re read it whenever i am getting frustrated, and feel sorry for my self or my child, or i just want to give up and quit fighting. I thought it was a good one to share.





Some Mothers Get Babies With Something More

Lori Borgman
Columnist and Speaker
My friend is expecting her first child. People keep asking what she wants. She smiles demurely, shakes her head and gives the answer mothers have given throughout the pages of time. She says it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. She just wants it to have ten fingers and ten toes.
Of course, that's what she says. That's what mothers have always said.
Mothers lie.
Truth be told, every mother wants a whole lot more. Every mother wants a perfectly healthy baby with a round head, rosebud lips, button nose, beautiful eyes and satin skin. Every mother wants a baby so gorgeous that people will pity the Gerber baby for being flat-out ugly.
Every mother wants a baby that will roll over, sit up and take those first steps right on schedule (according to the baby development chart on page 57, column two). Every mother wants a baby that can see, hear, run, jump and fire neurons by the billions. She wants a kid that can smack the ball out of the park and do toe points that are the envy of the entire ballet class. Call it greed if you want, but we mothers want what we want.
Some mothers get babies with something more.
Some mothers get babies with conditions they can't pronounce, a spine that didn't fuse, a missing chromosome or a palette that didn't close. Most of those mothers can remember the time, the place, the shoes they were wearing and the color of the walls in the small, suffocating room where the doctor uttered the words that took their breath away. It felt like recess in the fourth grade when you didn't see the kick ball coming and it knocked the wind clean out of you.
Some mothers leave the hospital with a healthy bundle, then, months, even years later, take him in for a routine visit, or schedule her for a well check, and crash head first into a brick wall as they bear the brunt of devastating news. It can't be possible! That doesn't run in our family. Can this really be happening in our lifetime?
I am a woman who watches the Olympics for the sheer thrill of seeing finely sculpted bodies. It's not a lust thing; it's a wondrous thing. The athletes appear as specimens without flaw - rippling muscles with nary an ounce of flab or fat, virtual powerhouses of strength with lungs and limbs working in perfect harmony. Then the athlete walks over to a tote bag, rustles through the contents and pulls out an inhaler.
As I've told my own kids, be it on the way to physical therapy after a third knee surgery, or on a trip home from an echocardiogram, there's no such thing as a perfect body. Every body will bear something at some time or another. Maybe the affliction will be apparent to curious eyes, or maybe it will be unseen, quietly treated with trips to the doctor, medication or surgery. The health problems our children have experienced have been minimal and manageable, so I watch with keen interest and great admiration the mothers of children with serious disabilities, and wonder how they do it.
Frankly, sometimes you mothers scare me. How you lift that child in and out of a wheelchair 20 times a day. How you monitor tests, track medications, regulate diet and serve as the gatekeeper to a hundred specialists yammering in your ear.
I wonder how you endure the clichés and the platitudes, well-intentioned souls explaining how God is at work when you've occasionally questioned if God is on strike. I even wonder how you endure schmaltzy pieces like this one -- saluting you, painting you as hero and saint, when you know you're ordinary. You snap, you bark, you bite. You didn't volunteer for this, you didn't jump up and down in the motherhood line yelling, "Choose me, God. Choose me! I've got what it takes."
You're a woman who doesn't have time to step back and put things in perspective, so, please, let me do it for you. From where I sit, you're way ahead of the pack. You've developed the strength of a draft horse while holding onto the delicacy of a daffodil. You have a heart that melts like chocolate in a glove box in July, carefully counter-balanced against the stubbornness of an Ozark mule. You can be warm and tender one minute, and when circumstances require, intense and aggressive the next.
You are the mother, advocate and protector of a child with a disability. You're a neighbor, a friend, a stranger I pass at the mall. You're the woman I sit next to at church, my cousin and my sister-in-law. You're a woman who wanted ten fingers and ten toes, and got something more. You're a wonder.

Dentist

I very much dislike my teeth right now!! I can't believe how much its costs to fix your teeth!!

Its my fault i know. I put off going to the dentist for the past 8 years, but i felt that since i had no cavities for the first 18 years of my life, why would i start now.

Here is the thing, having 4 children in six years seems to have robbed my body of some much need calcium, so that along with the fact that i drink a lot of coke (well used to, i have cut way back) has done a # on my teeth.

So last year i finally found a dentist that i LOVE!! She is very sweet and caring and i don't feel quite as terrified to go to the dentist when i see her. So after getting some teeth pulled, several sets of x-rays and 9 months later, i finally get told what the damage is going to be. Its not good.....like 8-10 thousand not good.....

I have learned my lesson, my children will have regular dentist visits from now on, i will not let them follow my bad example.

Nostalgia

It seems like just yesterday that my summers were busy with baton lessons, tee-ball and swimming at the pool every afternoon. Now i get to watch Morgan play tee-ball and talk about the exciting time she had at the pool that day. Wed. night was parents night and i was able to watch Morgan play, it just seems crazy to think that not so long ago that was me playing, in that same softball field and at one time i am sure i was on the green team. Does this mean i am getting old?

4th of July

This year for the 4th we did something different, my entire family was together up at Okaboji, something that has not happened in several years...it was nice, and somewhat crazy:)

We spent the forth boating and skiing....glad to say that after four kids i can still ski. I really was not sure if i still could and was slightly afraid of hurting myself!!

Friday night Brian and I and the kids found a dock to sit on and watch the fireworks. They were cool and the kids enjoyed them. I did enjoy them myself but was actually really glad when they were finished. We were sitting on a floating dock and i was getting a little sick. Sad to say, but i don't think i could ever handle going on a cruize!

Saturday we took the kids to the beach. Morgan and Dylan just loved playing in the water, and i have to give the credit because it was COLD! Logan hates the water and was perfectly content to just play in the sand. We tried everything we could think of to get him to go in the water...even bribery (i know good parents we are !) but nothing was making him budge.

Sunday we were ready to come home, the weekend had been fun but exhausting! The drive home was even entertaining as about 10 miles from home the sky let loose and we got dumped on. I was following Brian who was pulling the camper...i could not see ANYTHING!! Lots of cars were pulling over, but we kept going, i don't think i have ever been so glad to see Alton:)

Here it goes....

So as if i don't have enough to do, i decided to try having a blog. I feel that life goes by so fast so why not keep a journal of it!

So be prepared for stories of my crazy, yet adorable kids and my crazy and sometimes adorable husband:)